1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to compositions and methods for using antineoplastic agents to treat diseases such as cancer, and more specifically, to compositions and methods for effectively treating these diseases through reestablishment of gene transcription with a combination therapy including a DNA methylation inhibitor and a histone deacetylase inhibitor.
2. Description of Related Art
The evolution of new therapies for diseases associated with abnormal cell proliferation such as cancer has provided many choices of therapeutics for clinical treatment. Recent development and FDA approval of biologic therapy for refractory tumors, such as melanoma, raises a new hope that more advances tumors that have been refractory to all approaches with conventional drugs may be curable by taking non-conventional approaches.
Currently therapeutic agents used in clinical cancer therapy are categorized into six groups: alkylating agents, antibiotic agents, antimetabolic agents, biologic agents, hormonal agents, and plant-derived agents.
The alkylating agents are polyfunctional compounds that have the ability to substitute alkyl groups for hydrogen ions. Examples of alkylating agents include, but are not limited to, bischloroethylamines (nitrogen mustards, e.g. chlorambucil, cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, mechlorethamine, melphalan, uracil mustard), aziridines (e.g. thiotepa), alkyl alkone sulfonates (e.g. busulfan), nitrosoureas (e.g. carmustine, lomustine, streptozocin), nonclassic alkylating agents (altretamine, dacarbazine, and procarbazine), platinum compounds (carboplastin and cisplatin). These compounds react with phosphate, amino, hydroxyl, sulfihydryl, carboxyl, and imidazole groups. Under physiological conditions, these drugs ionize and produce positively charged ion that attach to susceptible nucleic acids and proteins, leading to cell cycle arrest and/or cell death. The alkylating agents are cell cycle phase-nonspecific agents because they exert their activity independently of the specific phase of the cell cycle. The nitrogen mustards and alkyl alkone sulfonates are most effective against cells in the G1 or M phase. Nitrosoureas, nitrogen mustards, and aziridines impair progression from the G1 and S phases to the M phases. Chabner and Collins eds. (1990) “Cancer Chemotherapy: Principles and Practice”, Philadelphia: J B Lippincott.
The alkylating agents are active against wide variety of neoplastic diseases, with significant activity in the treatment of leukemias and lymphomas as well as solid tumors. Clinically this group of drugs is routinely used in the treatment of acute and chronic leukemias; Hodgkin's disease; non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; multiple myeloma; primary brain tumors; carcinomas of the breast, ovaries, testes, lungs, bladder, cervix, head and neck, and malignant melanoma. The major toxicity common to all of the alkylating agents is myelosuppression. Gastrointestinal adverse effects of variable severity occur commonly and various organ toxicities are associated with specific compounds. Black and Livingston (1990) Drugs 39:489-501; and 39:652-673.
The antibiotic agents are a group of drugs that produced in a manner similar to antibiotics as a modification of natural products. Examples of antibiotic agents include anthracyclines (e.g. doxorubicin, daunorubicin, epirubicin, idarubicin and anthracenedione), mitomycin C, bleomycin, dactinomycin, plicatomycin. These antibiotic agents interferes with cell growth by targeting different cellular components. For example, anthracyclines are generally believed to interfere with the action of DNA topoisomerase II in the regions of transcriptionally active DNA, which leads to DNA strand scissions. Bleomycin is generally believed to chelate iron and forms an activated complex, which then binds to bases of DNA, causing strand scissions and cell death.
The antibiotic agents have been used as therapeutics across a range of neoplastic diseases, including carcinomas of the breast, lung, stomach and thyroids, lymphomas, myelogenous leukemias, myelomas, and sarcomas. The primary toxicity of the anthracyclines within this group is myelosuppression, especially granulocytopenia. Mucositis often accompanies the granulocytopenia and the severity correlates with the degree of myelosuppression. There is also significant cardia toxicity associated with high dosage administration of the anthracyclines.
The antimetabolic agents are a group of drugs that interfere with metabolic processes vital to the physiology and proliferation of cancer cells. Actively proliferating cancer cells require continuous synthesis of large quantities of nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, and other vital cellular constituents. Many of the antimetabolites inhibit the synthesis of purine or pyrimidine nucleosides or inhibit the enzymes of DNA replication. Some antimetabolites also interfere with the synthesis of ribonucleosides and RNA and/or amino acid metabolism and protein synthesis as well. By interfering with the synthesis of vital cellular constituents, antimetabolites can delay or arrest the growth of cancer cells. Examples of antimetabolic agents include, but are not limited to, fluorouracil (5-FU), floxuridine (5-FUdR), methotrexate, leucovorin, hydroxyurea, thioguanine (6-TG), mercaptopurine (6-MP), cytarabine, pentostatin, fludarabine phosphate, cladribine (2-CDA), asparaginase, and gemcitabine.
Antimetabolic agents have widely used to treat several common forms of cancer including carcinomas of colon, rectum, breast, liver, stomach and pancreas, malignant melanoma, acute and chronic leukemia and hair cell leukemia. Many of the adverse effects of antimetabolites treatment result from suppression of cellular proliferation in mitotically active tissues, such as the bone marrow or gastrointestinal mucosa. Patients treated with these agents commonly experience bone marrow suppression, stomatitis, diarrhea, and hair loss. Chen and Grem (1992) Curr. Opin. Oncol. 4:1089-1098.
The hormonal agents are a group of drug that regulate the growth and development of their target organs. Most of the hormonal agents are sex steroids and their derivatives and analogs thereof, such as estrogens, androgens, and progestins. These hormonal agents may serve as antagonists of receptors for the sex steroids to down regulate receptor expression and transcription of vital genes. Examples of such hormonal agents are synthetic estrogens (e.g. diethylstibestrol), antiestrogens (e.g. tamoxifen, toremifene, fluoxymesterol and raloxifene), antiandrogens (bicalutamide, nilutamide, flutamide), aromatase inhibitors (e.g., aminoglutethimide, anastrozole and tetrazole), ketoconazole, goserelin acetate, leuprolide, megestrol acetate and mifepristone.
Hormonal agents are used to treat breast cancer, prostate cancer, melanoma and meningioma. Because the major action of hormones is mediated through steroid receptors, 60% receptor-positive breast cancer responded to first-line hormonal therapy; and less than 10% of receptor-negative tumors responded. The main side effect associated with hormonal agents is flare. The frequent manifestations are an abrupt increase of bony pain, erythema around skin lesions, and induced hypercalcemia.
Plant-derived agents are a group of drugs that are derived from plants or modified based on the molecular structure of the agents. Examples of plant-derived agents include vinca alkaloids (e.g., vincristine, vinblastine, vindesine, vinzolidine and vinorelbine), podophyllotoxins (e.g., etoposide (VP-16) and teniposide (VM-26)), taxanes (e.g., paclitaxel and docetaxel). These plant-derived agents generally act as antimitotic agents that bind to tubulin and inhibit mitosis. Podophyllotoxins such as etoposide are believed to interfere with DNA synthesis by interacting with topoisomerase II, leading to DNA strand scission.
Plant-derived agents are used to treat many forms of cancer. For example, vincristine is used in the treatment of the leukemias, Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and the childhood tumors neuroblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, and Wilms' tumor. Vinblastine is used against the lymphomas, testicular cancer, renal cell carcinoma, mycosis fungoides, and Koposi's sarcoma. Doxetaxel has shown promising activity against advanced breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and ovarian cancer. Etoposide is active against a wide range of neoplasms, of which small cell lung cancer, testicular cancer, and NSCLC are most responsive.
The plant-derived agents cause significant side effects on patients being treated. The vinca alkaloids display different spectrum of clinical toxicity. Side effects of vinca alkaloids include neurotoxicity, altered platelet function, myelosuppression, and leukopenia. Paclitaxel causes dose-limiting neutropenia with relative sparing of the other hematopoietic cell lines. The major toxicity of the epipophyllotoxins is hematologic (neutropenia and thrombocytopenia). Other side effects include transient hepatic enzyme abnormalities, alopenia, allergic reactions, and peripheral neuropathy.
Biologic agents are a group of biomolecules that elicit cancer/tumor regression when used alone or in combination with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. Examples of biologic agents include immuno-modulating proteins such as cytokines, monoclonal antibodies against tumor antigens, tumor suppressor genes, and cancer vaccines.
Cytokines possess profound immunomodulatory activity. Some cytokines such as interleukin-2 (IL-2, aldesleukin) and interferon-α (IFN-α) demonstrated antitumor activity and have been approved for the treatment of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma and metastatic malignant melanoma. IL-2 is a T-cell growth factor that is central to T-cell-mediated immune responses. The selective antitumor effects of IL-2 on some patients are believed to be the result of a cell-mediated immune response that discriminate between self and nonself.
Interferon-α includes more than 23 related subtypes with overlapping activities. IFN-α has demonstrated activity against many solid and hematologic malignancies, the later appearing to be particularly sensitive. Examples of interferons include, interferon-α, interferon-β (fibroblast interferon) and interferon-γ (fibroblast interferon). Examples of other cytokines include erythropoietin (epoietin-α), granulocyte-CSF (filgrastin), and granulocyte, macrophage-CSF (sargramostim). Other immuno-modulating agents other than cytokines include bacillus Calmette-Guerin, levamisole, and octreotide, a long-acting octapeptide that mimics the effects of the naturally occuring hormone somatostatin.
Monoclonal antibodies against tumor antigens are antibodies elicited against antigens expressed by tumors, preferably tumor-specific antigens. For example, monoclonal antibody HERCEPTIN® (Trastruzumab) is raised against human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) that is overexpressed in some breast tumors including metastatic breast cancer. Overexpression of HER2 protein is associated with more aggressive disease and poorer prognosis in the clinic. HERCEPTIN® is used as a single agent for the treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer whose tumors over express the HER2 protein.
Another example of monoclonal antibodies against tumor antigens is RITUXAN® (Rituximab) that is raised against CD20 on lymphoma cells and selectively deplete normal and maligant CD20+ pre-B and mature B cells. RITUXAN® is used as single agent for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory low-grade or follicular, CD20+, B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
MYELOTARG® and CAMPATH® are further examples of monoclonal antibodies against tumor antigens that may be used.
Tumor suppressor genes are genes that function to inhibit the cell growth and division cycles, thus preventing the development of neoplasia. Mutions in tumor suppressor genes cause the cell to ignore one or more of the components of the network of inhibitory signals, overcoming the cell cycle check points and resulting in a higher rate of controlled cell growth—cancer. Examples of the tumor suppressor genes include DPC-4, NF-1, NF-2, RB, p53, WT1, BRCA1 and BRCA2.
DPC-4 is involved in pancreatic cancer and participates in a cytoplasmic pathway that inhibits cell division. NF-1 codes for a protein that inhibits Ras, a cytoplasmic inhibitory protein. NF-1 is involved in neurofibroma and pheochromocytomas of the nervous system and myeloid leukemia. NF-2 encodes a nuclear protein that is involved in meningioma, schwanoma, and ependymoma of the nervous system. RB codes for the pRB protein, a nuclear protein that is a major inhibitor of cell cycle. RB is involved in retinoblastoma as well as bone, bladder, small cell lung and breast cancer. P53 codes for p53 protein that regulates cell division and can induce apoptosis. Mutation and/or inaction of p53 is found in a wide ranges of cancers. WT1 is involved in Wilms tumor of the kidneys. BRCA1 is involved in breast and ovarian cancer, and BRCA2 is involved in breast cancer. The tumor suppressor gene can be transferred into the tumor cells where it exerts its tumor suppressing functions.
Cancer vaccines are a group of agents that induce the body's specific immune response to tumors. Most of cancer vaccines under research and development and clinical trials are tumor-associated antigens (TAAs). TAA are structures (i.e. proteins, enzymes or carbohydrates) which are present on tumor cells and relatively absent or diminished on normal cells. By virtue of being fairly unique to the tumor cell, TAAs provide targets for the immune system to recognize and cause their destruction. Example of TAAs include gangliosides (GM2), prostate specific antigen (PSA), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) (produced by colon cancers and other adenocarcinomas, e.g. breast, lung, gastric, and pancreas cancer s), melanoma associated antigens (MART-1, gp100, MAGE 1,3 tyrosinase), papillomavirus E6 and E7 fragments, whole cells or portions/lysates of antologous tumor cells and allogeneic tumor cells.
Although thousands of potential anticancer agents have been evaluated, the treatment of human cancer remains fraught with complications and side effects which often present an array of suboptimal treatment choices. Despite the great number of anti-neoplastic agents that are used in the clinic for cancer treatment, a need still exists for more effective drug regimens for treating cancer in a more genetically specific manner. The present invention relates to one such improved drug regimen for treating diseases that can be controlled by manipulation of gene expression, such as cancer.